Seven Years at CSU

I love telling people that CSU used to sell sushi and Popeye’s. That we used to have to change our Cougarnet passwords almost monthly. That at one point CSU actually considered getting two live cougars.

I first came to CSU in 2009, only 17 years old, and started out as a music major because like many others I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. My very first day I convinced a friendly clarinet major named Amanda to let me stay in a Schwob practice room with her for a few hours because I was scared and didn’t know what to do with myself.

When I graduated in 2013 with a degree in English Lit, I was only marginally prepared for the real world so I decided to keep going. I didn’t feel like the adult I was supposed to be. Spoiler alert: it never happens.

When I graduate with an MBA this December, I’ll have been at CSU for seven years, and I can tell you, it’s been a ride. Granted, I’ve met a lot of students who have been at CSU even longer than I have. But it’s fun to see how nothing really changes. People in grad school are a little harder, wiser, and more willing to actually pull their weight in group projects, but otherwise, they’re just trying to figure things out like everyone else.

I was lucky to have gotten to see three very different environments at CSU. I experienced the hectic, sometimes merciless world of a music major, where you are driven to excel because you’re surrounded by so much raw talent and ambition, but still have nightmares about learning tritones.

I lived the life of underappreciated English literature major, where you read about how in Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus” cooking and eating people in a pie represents sexual frustration. You also start to see that there’s more sublime beauty and purpose in this world than you thought.

And finally, I’m currently venturing through the business school, an environment that makes you question how manipulative the world around you is while learning to value the cost of every minute. The upfront price of learning about the stock market and entrepreneurship hides the true value of being pushed to handle problems and grow a thick skin. Plus, they have really nice plush chairs.

When you stay stationary for a long time it’s easier see to how unique our lives are. Most of my friends have taken completely diverging paths. Some went to graduate school, like I did. Others got married, began freelancing, started careers, or are even teaching. A few still don’t know what they’re doing. Some have embraced adulthood; others continue to live as if they had never left college.

All of my favorite college memories come from spending time with friends I’ve made working on The Saber or in classrooms as we all suffer through our various curricula together. I’m positive that this is the real value of college, and learning a field is just a bonus.

I would love to thank the professors who truly had the most impact on my life for being awesome and supportive, even after I left the program. Dr. Jackson, Dr. Owen, and all the other professors in the English department – thank you so much for continuing to inspire me today and in the future.

The first few years of college are unreal, but eventually we all meet people, we grow, and we get the experience to handle problems. So here’s some advice for upcoming students. Don’t compare your grades, your school, or your life to others. It’s easy to do so, being surrounded by bright or interesting or lively people, but it only brings heartache and isn’t indicative of all the unique things that make up you. This is something I only learned recently, and so I hope you discover that lesson earlier than I did.

For the class of 2016, 2013, 2009, and all the others, I wish you all the best going forward. Thank you, CSU, for the opportunity.